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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26409625">call it in the ring</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/sunnymygal/pseuds/sunnymygal'>sunnymygal</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Avatar: The Last Airbender</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Anyways, LMAO, M/M, enjoy this, here is the production of three days of HELL, i enjoyed it tho, look. sonny made me do it, pro-bending au, so anyway, the way i . forced myself to write this, this is ur fault user snowandfire</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-09-11</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-09-11</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 12:08:21</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,617</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26409625</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/sunnymygal/pseuds/sunnymygal</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Each blast of water hits the other two players square in the chest; their efforts to stop the attacks are futile as Zuko and Toph easily deflect them to keep Katara going. Their opponents reach the end of the ring, teetering over the edge. Katara stops, and the three of them turn their gaze to the defeated players. </p>
<p>     Toph flicks her wrist, sending a block of earth to finish the fight. The crowd roars, and Zuko can’t resist pumping his fist and letting out a whoop!. He meets Sokka’s eyes in the crowd, panting with exertion. Sokka just grins at him, eyes shining. </p>
<p>    “ The Dawn Wraiths win again!”</p>
<p>or, the pro-bending au that forced it's way into my brain courtesy of sonny. you're welcome &lt;3</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Sokka/Zuko (Avatar)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>52</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>253</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>call it in the ring</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><ul class="associations">
      <li>For <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/snowandfire/gifts">snowandfire</a>.</li>



    </ul><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>this is all ur fault . u know who u are</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>     Zuko is feeling that adrenaline rush: that mind-filling, senseless high that comes with knowing you’re going to win. He and Toph move like water, smooth and controlled. He tracks the other team’s firebender, moving right with him and almost bumping into Toph. The crowd holds their breath, waiting for the crash that never comes. Toph smirks at him with the corner of her mouth, then twists and launches herself in the air. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>     She flies over him, using the gathered momentum to hurl three earth pellets at her opponent with incredible force. The other earthbender is knocked off the platform, leaving Zuko’s opponent and the waterbender, who hasn’t been very aggressive, in the background. Katara has been mirroring him, keeping behind Zuko and Toph to give an appearance of weakness. There’s already been tabloid speculation about a possible injury or animosity within their team. Zuko almost laughs at the thought. </span>
  <em>
    <span>As if. </span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    
  </em>
  <span>No, Katara is just waiting for her time to strike. And when she does, they’ll never know what hit them. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>     But right now, it’s Toph and Zuko’s job to draw out their opponent’s strength. They’re relentless, picking up where the other stops and switching opponents every so often. The other team's frustration is apparent, almost amusing as they stumble through their defenses. Zuko and Toph push them back, farther and farther until they’re in the last ring of the arena.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>     Then, Katara begins her ambush. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>     She works her way forward to Toph and Zuko, hurling water whips at the other team as she goes. Her motions are quick, leaving no time for defense. Zuko falls back, letting Katara do her thing. It’s easily one of the highlights of the match- it always is. Her forms are scrutinized and thoroughly inspected by waterbenders across the world. It’s perfect for elite waterbenders just learning how to properly attack, which is part of the reason why the Dawn Wraith’s matches are always packed with people that want to get a glimpse of the legendary Katara herself. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>     Each blast of water hits the other two players square in the chest; their efforts to stop the attacks are futile as Zuko and Toph easily deflect them to keep Katara going. Their opponents reach the end of the ring, teetering over the edge. Katara stops, and the three of them turn their gaze to the defeated players. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>     Toph flicks her wrist, sending a block of earth to finish the fight. The crowd roars, and Zuko can’t resist pumping his fist and letting out a </span>
  <em>
    <span>whoop!</span>
  </em>
  <span>. He meets Sokka’s eyes in the crowd, panting with exertion. Sokka just grins at him, eyes shining. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>    “ </span>
  <em>
    <span>The Dawn Wraiths win again!”</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>
    
  </em>
  <span>“Come on, Sparky, Snoozles is getting sad out here waiting for you!” Toph calls from outside the room where Zuko is toweling off and grabbing his bag. Sokka has Toph in a headlock outside, and Katara is looking off into the sunset like she wants to be anywhere but here. Zuko gets the feeling. Sokka’s face lights up when he sees Zuko, releasing Toph to give him a crushing hug and congratulating him on their win. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>     “God, you guys were amazing! I swear, this was your best match yet.” Zuko blushes, tucking his face into Sokka’s neck. He slides his arm around Zuko’s waist, and Zuko takes the opportunity to close his eyes and lean on his boyfriend. He smiles as he hears Katara and Toph gag in mock-disgust. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>     Aang pulls up in his beat up Satomobile, amusingly chipper. They all pile in, picking up Suki from her dojo. She takes her place in the front passenger seat, twisting to tell them all about that one girl and her ongoing hero-worship of Katara. Zuko leans his head on Sokka’s shoulder as he listens to his friends squabble, drifting off to the sounds of delighted laughter. He smiles as he falls asleep. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>     “Wakey time, Sparky! No, seriously, it’s eleven AM.” Toph drapes herself on top of him, hoping to annoy him into getting up. Zuko groans, burrowing deeper into the blankets.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>     “We had a match yesterday. How are you so awake?” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Toph gets up, sitting on him instead. “Maybe you’re just old, weirdo.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>     “I’m twenty-two, Beifong.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>     “Yeah. Old.” Zuko tackles her to the ground, and Toph snorts. “Finally awake? Come on, Snoozles is making breakfast.” They get up, Zuko elbowing her and Toph hitting him back. Katara glares at them, and they look at the ground. She huffs and rolls her eyes, but they can tell she’s smiling. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>     Zuko gives her a loose hug from behind, rocking her back and forth. “I’m sorry, Sifu Katara. Could you find it in your heart to ever forgive me?” Katara tilts her head in mock-consideration, trying to keep her smile contained but failing.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>     “Maybe you can stay with us, pupil Zuko. But I’ll be keeping a close eye on you.” Zuko nods seriously, arms still around her shoulders. Suki snorts at them from where she’s sitting on the table.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>     “Sokka, I think your boyfriend is going after your sister.” It’s an inside joke from years and years ago, back when tabloids thought the next power couple was Katara and Zuko. They completely ignored both Katara’s lesbianism and Zuko’s gayness, which made it all the more funnier. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>     Sokka comes into the dining room, plates stacked with food. Suki, Toph, and Aang all jump up to help him, but Zuko stays where he’s perched on Katara’s lap. Sokka takes one look at them, raises his brows, and shrugs. Katara bursts out laughing, and Zuko just throws a strawberry at Sokka’s back. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>     Here, in the middle of a food fight he’s just started, Zuko feels at home. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>     “Zuko, on your six!” He spins around just in time to blast an earth pellet Toph hurled at him, but it was too close of a call. He already knows what Katara’s gonna say. “That was too slow, Zuko. In the match, I might not be as focused on you out there.” Zuko resists the urge to groan and instead nods, ready to start the set again. Katara shakes her head, signaling for Toph to take a break. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>     “It’s ok, Katara, we can keep going. I’m not tired-” Katara flicks a chunk of ice at him. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>     “Nope. C’mon, you deserve a break.” She smiles at him. “You know you’re more than prepared for tonight.” Zuko rolls his eyes, unwrapping his hands and grabbing his towel from where it sits on the bench. He’d foregone a shirt when one of Toph’s earth pellets had mixed with Katara’s water whips and created a not-so-lovely green sludge that decided to make a home on his chest. Training shirtless actually was surprisingly nice, especially when Katara dunked him in water. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Also, it rendered Sokka speechless. Which was always a plus. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>     Sokka's paused mid-speech, eyes wide and mouth hanging slightly open. Zuko grins, stretching and subtly flexing just to make Sokka somehow turn an even darker shade of maroon. Toph hits him upside the head, smirking.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>     “Stop showing off, Sparks. He’s already malfunctioning.” This gets Sokka to snap out of his trance, spluttering and twisting his hands. Zuko takes pity on his boyfriend and gives him a small peck on the cheek before changing into a spare set of clothes. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>     When he comes out, Sokka is pointedly looking away from Katara, who’s grinning at him evilly and jabbing her finger in his side. Zuko resists the urge to snort at them, instead placing his arm around Sokka’s waist and gently guiding them outside to wait for the girls. Sokka twists in his arms, pushing him against the wall and burying his face in Zuko’s neck. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>     “You bastard,” he whines. “You know I stop functioning when you’re at practice. And shirtless? Really? Was that necessary?” Zuko laughs at the incredulity in his voice, wrapping his arms around Sokka’s shoulders and kissing the soft strands of his hair. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>     “I’m sorry, baby.” He traces patterns on the back of Sokka’s neck, reveling in the slight hitch in his breath. “But that’s just what you get for dating someone as cool and strong as me.” Sokka chuckles at that, pulling away to knock their foreheads together. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>     “You’re right. How could I even think about being with ‘Zuko Sozin, elite pro-bender and ladies man?’” Zuko rolls his eyes at the jab.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>     “Are you ever going to let that headline go?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>     “Nope. Never.” He smirks. “I’m gonna make sure to tell our kids all about it. They’re gonna be like, ‘was daddy famous when you guys didn’t have us?’ and I’m gonna tell them all about when the press thought you and Katara were together.” Zuko tries to formulate a decent response, but his brain is still stuck on </span>
  <em>
    <span>our kids our kids our kids-</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    
  </em>
  <span>“Come on, lovebirds, we’ve gotta go! Aang says the new Fire Nation teashop is finally open, and I wanna be the first to try their stuff!” Zuko sends a quick thanks to whatever gods are looking out for him and makes a mental note to buy Toph her favorite mooncakes tomorrow. Sokka looks at him oddly, wondering what made him blank out. Zuko shakes his head, enough for Sokka to stop looking worried and shout back to Toph. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>     Zuko thinks about “our kids” for the entirety of the ride to the restaurant. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>     Sokka corners him when they’re getting ready for bed. “You have the championships tomorrow, Zuko. You can’t just space out like this.” He tries his best to sound casual, but Zuko can hear the slight strain in his voice. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Oh, fuck, </span>
  </em>
  <span>he thinks. </span>
  <em>
    <span>He’s worried. </span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    
  </em>
  <span>Zuko smiles and gives him his best </span>
  <em>
    <span>I’m fine </span>
  </em>
  <span>look. Sokka, of course, doesn’t take the bait and instead guides them to sit on the bed facing each other. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>     “Talk to me, Zuko.” Sokka looks at him, brows furrowed and a slight pout on his face and </span>
  <em>
    <span>fuck it, </span>
  </em>
  <span>Zuko thinks. He exhales, meeting the other man’s eyes and willing himself to speak clearly. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>     “It's just. When we were outside earlier today, you said something.” Sokka’s face immediately twists with fear, and Zuko scrambles to rephrase. “It wasn’t bad, just something that hit me.” Sokka seems slightly less afraid, and Zuko counts that as a win.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>     “You were...you were talking about dating me, a ‘celebrity.’ And then you said something about ‘our kids.’ and I don’t know, I just...it just made me stop and think because I was surprised to find that I wanted that. I want a family. I want to tell stories. I want to tell them that their dad is a huge dork and loves seal jerky more than his boyfriend and acts like he hates his friends but in reality would kill for them and- yeah.” Zuko had squeezed his eyes shut for the duration of his outburst, but now he slowly opens them to find Sokka looking at him like he’s something holy.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>     “You </span>
  <em>
    <span>are </span>
  </em>
  <span>something holy, Zuko.” Oh. He’d said that out loud. He hides his face in his hands, but Sokka just pulls them away and rubs circles onto his wrists. “No, just, </span>
  <em>
    <span>spirits, </span>
  </em>
  <span>Zuko. You’re incredible. You’re so good, and amazing, and </span>
  <em>
    <span>fuck. </span>
  </em>
  <span>I love you, you know that?” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>     Zuko laughs softly, drawing Sokka forward with his hand on his neck. “I love you too, weirdo.” He brushes his hands over the short hairs of Sokka’s undercut, finally letting go of the tenseness he hadn’t realized he was carrying since the afternoon. They lie down, Zuko burrowing his face in Sokka’s chest. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>     Suddenly, his eyes snap open. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>     “Fuck, Sokka! The championships are </span>
  <em>
    <span>tomorrow</span>
  </em>
  <span>!” </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>     It’s the last third of the goddamn championships, and they’re </span>
  <em>
    <span>tied. </span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    
  </em>
  <span>As one can imagine, this is horrendous for Zuko’s stress levels.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>     Logically, he knew this was going to happen. They’re up against the best pro-bending team in the world. The Floppy Walruses have been undefeated for five years now, somehow staying at the top. Toph had taken one look at the team member’s inflated egos and declared she was going to crush those “uppity Ba Sing Se jerks.”. Zuko had agreed. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>      Now, Toph, Katara, and Zuko all crouch in a fighting stance, getting ready for the final round. The other team has been infuriatingly chipper, trading jokes and laughs while his team stumbles through the game. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>     The last round starts, with Katara and Zuko immediately striking. Their opponents are quick, though, putting up strong defenses before they can get any good shots in. Toph hangs back dealing with the errant throws and waiting for a good opening. They continue with this little dance for what feels like hours, neither team gaining the upper hand. Zuko’s frustrated, but he’s careful not to let it show. Toph continues to lay low, drawing </span>
  <em>
    <span>boos </span>
  </em>
  <span>and jeers from the crowd. She just rolls her eyes, keeping her focus on the match. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>     No defining shots have been made, both teams trying to figure out what weak spots the other has. There’s a lull in the fight, everyone panting but unwilling to give up. Katara rolls her shoulders, a glint in her eye. Zuko smirks. </span>
  <em>
    <span>She’s up to something. </span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    
  </em>
  <span>He and Toph turn towards Katara. She stomps once, making sure Toph can feel it, and winks. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Okay then. We can go with that. </span>
  </em>
  <span>It’s not a tactic they use often, as there are about a hundred things that could go wrong. But, it’s not like they have any options. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>     The three of them start a relentless attack, Zuko and Toph slowly making their way to the edge of the arena. They coax the other team into the middle of their section, pushing them back. Their defenses start to crumble, but Zuko can feel himself starting to wear out. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Just a little bit longer, </span>
  </em>
  <span>he thinks. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>     Katara continues with her short, powerful bursts of water, driving the other team backwards. Zuko and Toph take this as their cue to stop, letting the other team think they’re tired out. Toph puts on a good show of it, bringing the back of her hand to her forehead and pretending to sway on her feet. The announcer eats it all up, yelling into the microphone some nonsense like “the Blind Bandit has finally fallen!” Zuko has a feeling Toph knows he’s rolling his eyes at her. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>    They’ve pushed the other team all the way to the last ring, but the game’s not over yet. If there’s anything the Floppy Walruses are famous for, it’s comebacks. They’ll have to be careful about these next few minutes. Katara manages to knock down one of the members, the earthbender. Zuko catches Toph’s flashing grin, chuckling to himself as he prepares for the big finale. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>    The three of them begin isolated attacks, focused on wearing out the other team and keeping them in the last ring. Toph takes a nasty blow to the head, and Katara rushes over to make sure she’s not concussed. Zuko takes the brunt of the attacks, using a complicated jump-spin-kick motion that gets a loud </span>
  <em>
    <span>whoop! </span>
  </em>
  <span>from where Sokka, Suki, and Aang are sitting in the front rows. The move throws all three opponents back even further, leaving them teetering over the edge. They regain their balance quickly, but Zuko’s team takes advantage of their momentary stumble.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>     Katara leaps upward, Toph following suit. They take the moment to tear down any and all defenses the other team has up, blasting with a ferocity Zuko hopes he never finds himself on the receiving end of. He joins them, thrusting out quick, short bursts of fire. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>     Suddenly, they stop.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>     The other team hesitates for a split second, confused, as Zuko, Toph, and Katara all strike at once.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>     “</span>
  <em>
    <span>Knockout! Folks, may I introduce you to this year’s pro-bending champions- the Dawn Wraiths!” </span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>this took me 3 days of emotional toil and stress. thanks to the zukka server for letting me scream about this and thank u sash and space for betaing! </p>
<p>some things u must know:<br/>-space Really wanted the opposing team's name to be Wet Ass Beavers. do with this information what you will<br/>-noelle brought up wapbending every 5 seconds which is part of the reason why this fic took so long to get written<br/>-this fic was just an excuse for me to write soft gaang shenanigans and and established zukka<br/>-i regret nothing<br/>-uwu</p>
<p>drop a comment and/or kudos if u enjoyed!!! &lt;3 im beepboopbitch on tumblr, please scream at me &lt;3</p></blockquote></div></div>
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